First Kisses
by SilverAsTheFox
Summary: It started off as a normal day for Sakuno, but ended in a way she would have never imagined. Read and Review.


Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis does not belong to me.

Gentle as a newborn fawn, soft as a whisper. Firm, but inexperienced and clumsy just as expected. Heaven on Earth, and over way too fast. There were many words that could be used when describing Sakuno Ryuuzaki's first kiss. One of them would be pure.

The day had started off as normal, she woke up, changed clothes, and brushed her teeth, as usual. School wasn't any different. Sakuno had taken notes, listened to the teacher intently, and occasionally she would steal glances at her long time crush. Echizen Ryoma had slept on, oblivious as usual.

Lunch with Tomoka had the Ichinen Trio had been average. Sakuno had baked more than she could handle and had ended up giving more than half to the loudmouth with two-years of tennis experience, Horio.

Classes ended at three and Sakuno and Tomoka had followed Ryoma down to the courts to watch tennis practice, like any other day.

"Hoi, hoi! Ryuuzaki-chan! Any cookies for your favorite upperclassman?", Eiji-senpai crowed in typical Eiji fashion. Gripping his kouhai tightly, he drew her into a tight hug before releasing her and looking down at her in the most pitiful expression he could manage.

"K-Kikumaru-senpai", Sakuno stuttered, shuffling from foot to foot and bowing her head, trying to hide her blush.

"Eiji! You can't just jump on Echizen's girlfriend like that!", Momoshiro-senpai ranted, smirking good naturedly. "Sooner or later, he's gonna get sick of it."

"A-Ah! Momoshiro-senpai, Ryoma-kun's not my boyfriend...", Sakuno quietly and embarrassedly denied.

"Young love, young love", Momoshiro continued on, ignoring the girl's words.

"Momoshiro! That's not fair! Ryuuzaki-chan makes the best cookies~ Sweet, savory, and just the right texture...," Eiji trailed off, his eyes clouded over and mouth watering. Without a word, Sakuno reached into her bag and pulled out a brown paper bag. Stretching out her arm to the third-year, Sakuno opened her mouth to say something, just as the bag was viciously ripped away by Momoshiro-senpai.

"Momo! Give it back! I asked first", Kikumaru whined, basically tackling the younger boy in his attempt to retrieve the bag offered to him.

"You snooze, you lose!", the second-year replied. He twisted his body to cover the sweets and pushed out his free hand to try to ward off his senpai.

"Momo! Give me! It's mine!", Eiji flung himself onto Momoshiro's back and reached his arms around, in an attempt to grab the covered bag. Waving his hands blindly, Eiji managed to grip a side and pulled, hard. Momoshiro was quick to reply, abandoning his defensive position to pull against the side he still had possession of. And as any sensible person would have guessed, the frail bag could no longer handle the pressure exerted upon it and split, right down the middle. As if in slow motion, the scrumptious chocolate chip cookies fell to the ground.

"No! No!", Eiji screamed, diving to the ground as if he could save the baked goods. Laying on the cement, arms splayed out, and facial expression crestfallen, Eiji looked as if he was going to cry for a second. In record time, Kikumaru jumped up and turned onto Momoshiro, fuming. Momoshiro, in response, raised his hands in a gesture of innocence.

Eiji looked just about ready to rant, when Tezuka-buchou interrupted, seemingly coming out of nowhere. Tezuka looked between the two of them, sternly, "When you two are done cleaning up this mess, fifty laps around the field." And just like that, he turned around and walked back to his previous seat, next to Fuji.

Quietly and dejected, the both of them bent down to pick up the mess they had created, purposely ignoring each other. Both of them failed to notice when Sakuno had slowly spun around and retreated back to her best friend's side, tears in her eyes. It had taken a long time to make those cookies, and now they were ruined. Regardless that the cookies really were Kikumaru's, she had given it to him, it really was such a waste that they had ended up on the floor, rather than in someone's stomach. She raised her hand, wiping the tears from her eyes before taking her place at Tomoka's side.

"RYOMA-SAMA! RYOMA-SAMA! FIGHT-O!", Tomoka yelled from the sidelines, flinging her pink pom poms around. Nevermind that Ryoma wasn't even playing a game, Tomoka cheered in her own, typical Tomoka way.

Practice came and went and before she knew it, she was walking back home, still put out by Momoshiro and Kikumaru-senpai's actions earlier that day. Silence enveloped her, and head bowed, her feet dragged one after the other towards her house, more than an hour away.

Suddenly, Sakuno heard footsteps loudly follow her close behind, until the stranger fell into step besides her. Looking up, she was surprised to find Ryoma-kun's golden, cat-like eyes searching hers. Without a word, Ryoma turned forward once again, tucking his hands into his regular's jacket.

"R-Ryoma-kun!", Sakuno stuttered. She paused in her step, stopping for a second to look at him strangely. Ryoma continued walking, as if he was unfazed by her actions. Realizing he was leaving her, Sakuno scurried after him, until she was once again by his side. "Ryoma-kun, what are you doing? Your house is the other way..."

"I'm walking you home", he shrugged.

"But, why?"

He didn't answer her, only walking forward, already knowing how to get to her home. The rest of the walk was spent in silence, Ryoma was a man of few words, and Sakuno was too shy to continue a conversation.

Stopping in front of her house, he turned to look towards her and she glanced up from under her eyelashes. Shuffling, Ryoma looked uncomfortable.

"Don't worry about Kikumaru-senpai or Momoshiro-senpai", Ryoma muttered, his words barely comprehensible. Sakuno tilted her head, looking confused. "Your cookies..." He explained.

Realization set in and Sakuno nodded, a small smile coming to set on her face. "Hai, Ryoma-kun. Thank you." She turned from him and reached for the doorknob when she was pulled away in one, jerky movement and into Ryoma's arms. His hand came around to rest on the back of her head and he pulled in to rest his lips onto hers.

Shocked, Sakuno stared wide-eyed and Ryoma's eyes gazed back into hers, something flashed across his golden gaze that she didn't recognize, before he closed them slowly. Following his lead, her eyes slid closed. And their lips slid across each others in a tenderness Sakuno didn't know Ryoma possessed.

All too soon, they pulled away and Ryoma stepped back, looking embarrassed by his own actions. Looking at her flushed face, he seemed to gain all confidence back, and smirked cockily. "See you tomorrow, Ryuuzaki", Ryoma said, before spinning around and walking back to his own house.

Wordlessly Sakuno touched her lips, and smiled.

**And you all ****_very_**** welcomed to review.**


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